13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:13-16

The Message (MSG)

Salt and Light

13 ďLet me tell you why you are here. Youíre here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? Youíve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

14-16 ďHereís another way to put it: Youíre here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. Weíre going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you donít think Iím going to hide you under a bucket, do you? Iím putting you on a light stand. Now that Iíve put you there on a hilltop, on a light standóshine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, youíll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Most people love their HOMELAND. You can find the SALT of the earth in so many nations around the world. How can we make a difference as the Bride of Christ?

Hosea 4:1-6

King James Version (KJV)

4 Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.

2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood.

3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.

4 Yet let no man strive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive with the priest.

5 Therefore shalt thou fall in the day, and the prophet also shall fall with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother.

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hosea 4:1-10

The Message (MSG)

No One Is Faithful

4 1-3 Attention all Israelites! Godís Message!
God indicts the whole population:
ďNo one is faithful. No one loves.
No one knows the first thing about God.
All this cussing and lying and killing, theft and loose sex,
sheer anarchy, one murder after another!
And because of all this, the very land itself weeps
and everything in it is grief-strickenó
animals in the fields and birds on the wing,
even the fish in the sea are listless, lifeless.

4-10 ďBut donít look for someone to blame.
No finger pointing!
You, priest, are the one in the dock.
You stumble around in broad daylight,
And then the prophets take over and stumble all night.
Your mother is as bad as you.
My people are ruined
because they donít know whatís right or true.
Because youíve turned your back on knowledge,
Iíve turned my back on you priests.
Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God,
Iím no longer recognizing your children.
The more priests, the more sin.
They traded in their glory for shame.
They pig out on my peopleís sins.
They canít wait for the latest in evil.
The result: You canít tell the people from the priests,
the priests from the people.
Iím on my way to make them both pay
and take the consequences of the bad lives theyíve lived.
Theyíll eat and be as hungry as ever,
have sex and get no satisfaction.
They walked out on me, their God,
for a life of rutting with whores.